The Contentious Ten 04.04.11: Best In Your House Matches, Part 1

Hello, and welcome to the Contentious Ten! Wrestlemania 27 has come and gone. What better way to start the new wrestling calendar than by counting down some classic matches from everyone’s favorite B-PPV series? Funny and unfortunate story- my VCR finally decided to die this past week during my research-gathering, taking with it my copy of In Your House 5: Season’s Beatings. Guess it’s time to convert all my old tapes.

In Your House was the WWF’s way of expanding to 12 PPVs a year- one a month. While this mid-90s era of wrestling is often largely referred to as “wrestlecrap,” I always found a certain charm to it. That said, this list definitely favors a select few wrestlers from that time-period, as opposed to a wide variety. And so, the Top Ten In Your House Matches…

PLEASE NOTE: This list is Part One of a two-part series, and only looks at the original run of In Your House shows where the In Your House name was the predominant title. These shows were two hours long (as opposed to the three hour “major” PPVs) and ran from May 14, 1995 (IYH 1) to July 6, 1997 (IYH 16: Canadian Stampede).color=red>

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Vader/Owen Hart/British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels/Sycho Sid/Ahmed Johnson size=6>
In Your House 9: International Incidentsize=4>

We start the list off with a great six-man tag team match that often goes unnoticed. Originally, Shawn Michael’s partners were supposed to be Ahmed Johnson and Ultimate Warrior. In the weeks leading up to the PPV, Warrior decided to no-show some events. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back and Vince McMahon severed ties with him thrice and for all. In his place was Sycho Sid, a man who had been on the shelf for months, and a heel the last time he appeared on television. The match itself is structured perfectly, giving the audience a taste of every style. We get the fast-paced, aerial stuff between Michaels and Hart, and some great power stuff between Sid, Johnson, Vader and Bulldog. Watch this match and you’ll see a big part of the reason why McMahon had Michaels drop the strap to Sid a few months later. He was crazy over.

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Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin vs. Vader vs. Undertaker size=6>
In Your House 13: Final Foursize=4>

This was a rather convoluted time for the main event scene in the WWF. Steve Austin won the 1997 Royal Rumble by less-than-kosher means. Towards the end of the match, Bret Hart eliminated Austin while the ringside refs were distracted by a brawl between Mankind and Terry Funk. Since the refs never saw the elimination, it never happened, and Austin eventually re-entered the ring to toss Hart over the top and win. Hart’s protesting led to the match that takes my #9 spot, an elimination style four-man Battle Royal where pinfalls and submissions were legal. Days prior, Shawn Michaels “lost his smile” and forfeited the WWF Championship. As a result, the winner of this match would become the new champion. What follows is an intense battle with a lot of brawling and, thanks to Vader’s eye being the target of a steel chair attack in the opening minutes of the match, blood. I don’t know what it is with Vader’s eye, but it never wants to stay in its place. Speaking of Vader, he was on top of his game here, busting out a moonsault and even a Sharpshooter on Hart. This was just a wild match, and with the talent involved, you know it was fun.

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Steve Austin vs. Savio Vega size=6>
In Your House 8: Beware of Dogsize=4>

I love me some strong (Caribbean) Strap Match psychology, and this one has it in spades. As you may know, this match took place at the infamous In Your House: Beware of Dog show where the power went out in the arena, bringing a new meaning to the term “dark match.” They decided to rectify the situation by filming it a second time a couple days later. The match featured above is from the second taping, and is during the time when Steve Austin had Ted DiBiase as his manager. Per match stipulations, if Austin lost, DiBiase would have no choice but to take all that money WCW was throwing at him. The match is very brutal and creates some great drama with the “touch all four corners” rule. My favorite spot comes when Vega dives for the fourth and final corner but Austin steps in the way and takes him down with a spinebuster. Both guys also try hogtying and dragging each other to all four corners, which is always a fun strategy. It’s performances like this that opened people’s eyes to Austin and led to his eventual skyrocketing push.

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Shawn Michaels vs. Owen Hart size=6>
In Your House 6: Rage in the Cagesize=4>

In late 1995, Shawn Michaels faced off against Owen Hart on an episode on Raw. Late in the match, Hart hit Michaels with an enzuigiri that caused Michaels to collapse in the middle of the ring soon after. The show went off the air in complete silence as paramedics looked after Michaels in the ring. It was all scripted, but many at the time thought it was legit. Michaels eventually returned, vowed to win the 1996 Royal Rumble and accomplished that goal. Meanwhile, Hart was still gloating about putting Michaels on the shelf and thought he deserved a Wrestlemania title shot. That brings us to match #7 on this list- Michaels vs. Hart, winner goes to Mania. What’s interesting here is that Hart, instead of targeting the head, goes after Michaels’ back; almost as if he wanted to prove he could make Michaels tap to his Sharpshooter. He hits him with suplexes, stomps and a deep camel clutch. Finally, when he realizes that isn’t getting the job done, he resorts to the death blow- the move that originally took out Michaels. The enzuigiri. It hits, knocking Michaels right out of the ring- only thing is, Hart can’t score the pin outside. Hart misses a second attempt and eats Sweet Chin Music to end the match. Great storytelling, great psychology and a great match.

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Bret Hart vs. Jean-Pierre Lafittesize=6>
In Your House 3size=4>

I love this match. It is absolutely brutal, and a bit different from most Bret Hart matches. The storyline heading into the match was simple- Jean-Pierre Lafitte was a bully who kept stealing the Hart sunglasses off of little kids in the audience. He took it a step further by stealing Hart’s signature jacket; a jacket Lafitte proudly wore on his way to the ring. Lafitte is made to look like a total stud throughout the match, having an answer for everything Hart threw at him. He knows when Hart is about to hit his signature moves, and responds accordingly. He brutalizes Hart from post to post and around the ringside area. Every move has a snap to it- you could tell Lafitte was trying his damnedest to earn his spot. Not to mention, he takes a missed somersault planchas to the outside on his back like a pro. Still, there is no way we let the bully win, especially against Hart. He locks in the Sharpshooter off his back (pretty sweet execution) and wins. Many people talk about Hart’s match with Hakushi around this period, but I find this one far superior.

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Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Jarrett size=6>
In Your House 2: The Lumberjackssize=4>

Shawn Michaels was coming off a loss against Diesel at his first Wrestlemania “main event,” and was in a re-grooming period that would lead him to finally capturing the WWF Championship the following year. While the Intercontinental Championship was beneath Michaels at this point, it was a natural step in the process- hence the match. IC Champion Jeff Jarrett had recently joined forces with The Roadie (aka, BG James) and was coming off a feud with Kliq member Razor Ramon. There wasn’t much hoopla heading into the match; we just had two great talents who could put on a show in the ring. And that’s exactly what they did. The Nashville crowd was heavily behind Michaels, and he fed off of it. Jarrett, always a fantastic heel, used that energy as well to create some great heat for himself. Probably the most memorable spot in the match comes when Jarrett launches Michaels clear over the top turnbuckle to the outside. Even Roadie at ringside, with his constant interference, is brilliant. Some call this Jarrett’s greatest match, and while he has had some encounters with Kurt Angle in TNA that rival this, you could still make that argument.

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Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog size=6>
In Your House 5: Season’s Beatingssize=4>

This match tends to be overshadowed by their epic Summerslam 1992 encounter, but it definitely holds its own and is a classic in its own right. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog at In Your House 5: Season’s Beatings is mostly remembered for its uncharacteristic bloodshed, but there is so much more to it than that. For starters, we have Diana Hart at ringside. Some find her reactions on the split screen annoying, but I feel it adds to the match. It really resonated with me as a kid, and still has a great effect today. It enhances the story to the point where a non-fan who has no idea what’s going on can appreciate and understand the drama. Then there’s the pro-ECW crowd. The match even starts with a strong “ECW” chant, almost a sign of what was to come. When Hart is eventually split open, you can bet the ECW faithful respectfully let out a “he’s hardcore!” chant. Combine that with the hard-hitting action in the ring, and you have yourself a winner.

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Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel size=6>
In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemiessize=4>

The sub-title of the show says it all: good friends, better enemies. Shawn Michaels had just won the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania, and kick-started his reign with another classic against one of his former best friends. The stipulation was No Holds Barred, and they sure lived up to it; especially Diesel, who had a fire in him all throughout the match. Keep in mind, this was early 1996 WWF, so a lot of the things they did here were new. We get some great visuals such as Diesel violently choking Michaels with his belt over the top rope, the Jackknife Powerbomb through the announce table (without removing the monitors!) and Mad Dog Vachon’s prosthetic leg. There is one bit of unintentional comedy to be found here though: early in the match, Diesel shouts at Jose Lothario, “This is how we do it in the 90s!” He then proceeds to give Michaels a few knee lifts in the corner. Hey, if it worked for him in the 90s, why not continue with it in the 2000s and 2010s? Nevertheless, it is a fantastic match that deserves all the recognition it receives.

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The Hart Foundation vs. Austin/Shamrock/Goldust/L.O.D. size=6>
In Your House 16: Canadian Stampedesize=4>

If you haven’t seen this match, do yourself a favor and watch, if only for the incredible atmosphere. It is a sight to behold- the crowd response and emotional involvement is something you don’t see every day. Those Canadian fans were behind the Hart Foundation as strongly as any diehard sports fan gets behind his/her favorite team. It is a perfectly booked match where every turning point serves to ignite the crowd that much more. From Steve Austin taking Owen Hart out of the match with an attack on the knee to Bret Hart returning the favor and the involvement of the rest of the Hart family at ringside, it all comes together exactly as planned and with perfect responses from the crowd. There are parts in the middle where the action gets a little sloppy, but the quality of this match doesn’t hinge on that. This, much like Ric Flair’s retirement match at Wrestlemania 24, is about taking the audience on a roller coaster of emotions through storytelling. It is about letting all the individual personalities of the Hart Foundation shine, not through promos or video packages, but through their actions in the ring. This is the definition of having a crowd in the palm of your hand.

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Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind size=6>
In Your House 10: Mind Gamessize=4>

For a long while, Mick Foley considered this his favorite match. It’s easy to see why; Shawn Michaels and Mankind tear the house down for almost 30-minutes. Mankind was this ugly, crazy psychopath who had a reputation of putting his body on the line. Michaels was a flamboyant, charismatic highflier who had never faced anyone the likes of Mankind. Knowing what Mankind was capable of, Michaels changed his style accordingly and met him with the same vigor. He fought fire with fire. The result was a masterfully structured wild spectacle that never felt disorganized or out-of-place. Michaels is always thinking and has to change strategies mid-match while Mankind just wants to hurt him. They managed to blend elements of both their styles to find a happy medium and give both performers a chance to shine. I give this match the slight nod over the Canadian Stampede 10-man tag because of their ability to adapt and create so much heat out of very little build or back-story. It’s a real shame this didn’t lead to an actual feud with rematches down the line.